Hillsborough committee approves third temporary budget adjustment and authorizes interim CFO contract

HILLSBOROUGH, N.J. — The Hillsborough Township Committee approved a temporary emergency budget adjustment and authorized an interim chief financial officer contract during its March 11 meeting, amid questions from committee members about posting and timing.

The committee approved the consent agenda, items 1–12, which included a temporary budget amendment to cover incoming bills and a contract with Phoenix Advisors for interim CFO services not to exceed $75,000 (budgeted as $50,000 for Hillsborough and $25,000 billed to Alexandria), by unanimous roll call.

Committee member Hand pressed for details on the temporary budget, noting this was “the third temporary emergency budget that we’ve passed” and asking how the township was tracking against the overall plan. Hand said the temporary measure raised the township to “44.75% of the $34,000,000 budget,” and asked why certain line items lacked supporting backup.

Mayor Ciccarelli and other officials responded that temporary budgets are standard practice while the full annual budget is compiled and that the current CFO transition prompted extra caution. “We did it last year too,” the mayor said, adding the temporary adjustments cover quarterly bills and bridge staffing while a new CFO is hired. Administrator Ferrer and staff identified several large items being covered by the temporary appropriation, including a roughly $30,000 invoicing item for the town’s accounting software (Edmonds), a roughly $660,000 insurance quarterly payment, and a recent recycling bill with a second-quarter charge. Officials said some numbers were added as buffers to ensure payroll and vendor payments were met during the CFO transition.

The consent agenda also authorized a time-limited contract with Phoenix Advisors for interim CFO services. Committee members discussed the shared-service structure with Alexandria and said Phoenix Advisors has prior experience with both municipalities. The contract was described in the meeting as a six-month arrangement billed monthly and subject to typical “not to exceed” language.

Clerk Brake read the roll call after the motion to approve the consent agenda passed: Committee Member Breeding — yes; Committee Woman Hand — yes; Committee Member Lapani — yes; Deputy Mayor Payne — yes; Mayor Ciccarelli — yes.

Officials said the full 2025 budget remains in development; the administration expects to have more complete figures later this month and reiterated that temporary appropriations are used to keep township operations funded until the budget is formally adopted.